Zhao's Destiny
by ZhugeLiangT
Summary: Zhao Yun questions whether or not saving the Han Dynasty is worth the trouble. With his friends can he look past this and find a true home in Shu?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 : **

The sun shone brightly over the grassy hills in the Shu territory. It was late March and a warm wind blew quietly as Ma Chao and Zhao Yun sat under an apple tree talking to each other. The surrounding area was calm, no one was around them. Zhao sat back against the tree as Ma was leaning back resting his weight on his elbows against the ground. Zhao looked over at Ma with a strange look on his face. Ma looked confused on what the facial expression was for.

"Ma Chao, my good friend, have you ever wondered if trying to keep the Han dynasty alive was really the right thing to do? I mean, if you really think about it… why not just make a brand new dynasty? We can claim all of China for ourselves Ma!" Zhao laughed at the thought of that.

"Zhao, our Lord Liu Bei is an honorable man… would you want to just leave him? That would not be a very wise thing to do. With him we have a place to stay, a kingdom to call our own… It may not truly be ours but we can make it ours by putting our lives on the line for it and working hard to keep it alive. We will claim all of China under the name of Han! With Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, The Five Tiger Generals, and other generals, do you really think Wu or Wei could stop us?" Ma raised his eyebrow.

"Ah… I suppose you are correct, I think I will just need to take time to get used to having to serve under a man like Liu Bei. As long as I am with friends though, it shouldn't be too bad." Zhao smiled at Ma. He sat up and looked at Zhao.

"That's the spirit! We can take all of China sooner or later. Hey, you know what? We should make an oath of brotherhood, right here and right now, let us swear an oath that we will not leave each other to die and will not allow the other to be left behind! We shall be brothers until our dying day!" Ma and Zhao both stood up and raised their spears into the air. "Let it be known that Ma Chao…" Ma Chao started.

"And Zhao Yun swear an oath of brotherhood. We will pledge to help the other in any way and make sure that they do not perish before their time has come…" Zhao continued.

"And in the end of our time we will both die together, as brothers and as friends." They lowered their spears and shook hands. The two sit back down under the tree looking outward to the horizon. Zhao sighed quietly. Zhao had an odd feeling in his gut that something was not correct but could not put his finger on the problem. The wind slightly picked up and blew around the trees branches. An apple fell between the two of them. Both instinctively went for the apple, but once they saw the other going for it they stopped.

"Go ahead Zhao, you take it." Ma told him handing the apple over. Zhao shook his head in disagreement. Zhao tossed the apple in the air and sliced it in half with his spear. Ma caught one half and Zhao the other. Ma laughed, "Ok, I suppose splitting it will be just fine! Zhao, what do you think it will be like when we take over China? I hope to get a nice land for myself and whoever I decide to marry. Just think, a bunch of little Ma Chao's running around a big open field playing. Hah, I can imagine that." Ma Chao laughs and so does Zhao Yun.

"Yeah, and I thought one is bad enough!" Zhao said jokingly to get punched in the arm. "Well I am going to live in a small area, maybe have a farm and when I have kids they can help out in it. I would like to see peace in these lands; I don't want my kids to have to suffer through all the fighting and wars that we have to go through so many times. They don't need to go through the pains and deaths like these times. If there is a way to guarantee their safety I would do anything!" Zhao looked up into the sky after saying that.

"There will be peace throughout the lands one day my friend, all we have to do is make sure that Wei and Wu do not take over China. If we can do that then I can almost promise that all of China will be ruled under Liu Bei's caring grasp. He will not let this land go into the hands of a dictator or a tyrant. As long as everything goes fine then there shouldn't be anything to worry about!" Ma said reassuring Zhao. Zhao nodded and finished the apple that he got.

"Well I guess it won't be overly difficult, I mean who do they have in their kingdom that is of equal to the power of us? They can not withstand our attacks when we come to take over their lands, and once we do China will be closer and closer to becoming ours for good!" Zhao stood up and stretched. As he did that a villager runs over to them and bows.

"Lord Liu Bei wishes to talk to you both. He asked if you would meet him in the throne room as soon as possible." The man bows and makes his exit. Zhao and Ma looked at each other confused. What could Liu Bei want with them crossed both of their minds. They stood there for a moment looking at each other in shock that they were requested to meet with him at such a random time when no chaos or war had been going on. After a moment they went off to the throne room.


	2. Chapter 2

Zhao Yun and Ma Chao started to go to see Liu Bei. As they were walking they went through a small garden. Jiang Wei was sitting on a bench with several books beside him. He was busy reading away at one of them as the two men walked over to him. At first Jiang Wei did not even notice them arrive, but when he heard a noise he looked up and saw them. Jiang quickly stood up and bowed to them. They bowed back.

"Lord Zhao Yun, Lord Ma Chao, I'm sorry that I did not notice that you were here sooner. I was just reading and must have gotten caught up in the book. Please forgive me…" Jiang Wei said embarrassed. Zhao Yun shook his head and smiled.

"Don't worry about it Jiang Wei, we were just passing by and saw you. We figured it would be nice to come by, say hi and see how you are doing." Zhao said smiling. Ma Chao nodded at Zhao's comments.

"Ah, well I am fine, thank you. I heard that Lord Liu Bei and Prime Minister are looking for you two? I wonder what is going on. I couldn't find out anything though when I heard about it." Jiang Wei said with curiosity in his voice. Ma Chao laughed a bit at Jiang Wei.

"Well, you aren't the only one. We haven't been told anything about it either yet. Who knows what it could be. Maybe they are promoting us… or maybe they are getting rid of us. We'll find out sooner or later" Ma Chao told Jiang Wei who nodded.

"Well, I think we should go then, we should not keep Lord Liu Bei waiting for too long. He may get angry at us for taking too long." Zhao Yun spoke up. Ma Chao blinked and agreed with him. Jiang Wei smiled and they said their goodbyes to each other. Jiang Wei went back to reading as the two walked off.

Zhao Yun and Ma Chao continued to walk over to where Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were waiting for them. After passing through a few more gardens they finally arrived there. A servant bowed to them and said they could go right in. As they got in Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang bowed to them. Ma Chao bowed back and Zhao Yun fell down to one knee to bow.

"Lord Liu Bei, it is an honor to serve you. I hope I can repay you with my services to your army for your kindness." Zhao Yun looked down as he said that to Liu Bei. Liu Bei quickly took his hands and helped him stand up.

"Zhao Yun, there is no need for that. It is my pleasure to have you here in Shu. You are not just an able officer to repay a debt here; we are fighting together, as equals to stop the chaos happening in China and bring back the Han Empire to its former glory." Liu Bei smiled. Zhao Yun blinked in shock.

_Equals? _ Zhao Yun thought to himself. _This Liu Bei certainly is different from the other Lords I have met before. Gongsun Zhan was not a man for me to fight for, he was hardly a man for anyone to fight under really. Yuan Shao was a noble man, but his over confidence and arrogance were way too overwhelming for anyone to stand. But this Liu Bei… he says we are equals… Never before had I heard of a Lord that would lower himself to compare himself with common officers. Is he really the man I should be serving? A Lord who thinks of himself equal to his officers and wants to save a dying empire instead of creating his own? This is indeed strange…_

Zhao Yun and Ma Chao sat down in front of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. Servants came out and gave food and drinks. They happily took them and began to eat and drink. Zhao Yun looked up at Liu Bei as he drank.

"My Lord, for what reasons did you wish to speak with us?" Zhao Yun asked him with curiosity in his voice. He looked at Zhuge Liang who sat there fanning himself. Liu Bei nodded and took out a message that was rolled up and showed it to Zhao Yun and Ma Chao. They read it and looked up at Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang picked up a map and walked over to them.

"This says that Cheng Du is occupied currently by Liu Zhang. Cheng Du would make a perfect city for the capital of Shu… if only we could have it." Zhuge Liang unrolled the map and pointed to Cheng Du and continued. "This land is perfect to begin the reformation of the Han Dynasty. Let us make this happen."


End file.
